The Malek Lab for Intraoperative Molecular Imaging

Marcus Malek, MD, director of Pediatric Surgical Oncology at UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, directs a unique research program focused on improving surgical outcomes in pediatric tumors through use of novel molecular imaging technology. Towards this end, he and his lab team are developing new surgical tracers to guide surgeons to the tumor, facilitate safe resection, and confirm that the entire tumor was removed.

Complete surgical resection of tumors is critical to providing the best possible patient outcomes, but unfortunately, incomplete resection is a common occurrence. A significant program being pursued by Dr. Malek and his team is a dual-labeled, tumor-specific tracer, that will provide both visual and audible signals within the tumor that can be detected using existing surgical tools. Although the project is specifically targeting pediatric neuroblastoma and osteosarcoma, ultimately the technology can also be applied to other types of pediatric tumors.

Fluorescent and Radio Guided Surgery

Despite rapid advancements and use of surgical tracers for adult tumors, surgical tracer development for resection of pediatric cancers has been limited. Researchers in the Malek Lab are seeking to improve pediatric cancer surgery outcomes through development of a first-of-its-kind tracer that incorporates tumor-specific targeting, radioactivity for guidance to hidden tumors, and fluorescence for visualization of exposed tumor. This research focuses on pediatric solid tumors, including neuroblastoma, surgery for which has a complication rate of nearly 50%, due in part to deep lesions that are often difficult for surgeons to discern from normal tissue. Researchers believe that a radio-fluorescent antibody-based tracer can facilitate intraoperative detection of pediatric neuroblastomas for safer and more complete removal, leading to improved patient outcomes and survival. Similarly, metastatic osteosarcoma can often be challenging to find, but complete tumor removal is critical to survival. A radio-fluorescent tracer could prove invaluable for these patients.

The Malek lab is actively working on translating their work to the bedside and hopes to soon initiate a First-In-Human study with one of their tracers.

Photoimmunotherapy Research

The Malek Lab is now actively pursuing photoimmunotherapy (PIT) as an innovative treatment approach for pediatric tumors. This emerging technique combines targeted antibodies with light-activated agents to selectively destroy cancer cells while minimizing damage to surrounding healthy tissue. Our research explores the application of PIT in conjunction with our intraoperative molecular imaging technologies to enhance both the detection and treatment of pediatric solid tumors.

Localization of Pulmonary Nodules in Children

Pulmonary nodules have various etiologies, and thoracoscopic biopsy is typically used for diagnostic and therapeutic resection in children. However, subpleural and subcentimeter lesions can be extremely difficult to visualize. The Malek Lab is leading a multi-center study to evaluate the extent to which image-guided localization techniques can assist in detection of pulmonary nodules.

Marcus Malek, MD

Principal Investigator
marcus.malek@chp.edu

Gary Kohanbash, PhD
Co-investigator
gary.kohanbash@chp.edu

Barry Edwards, PhD
Co-investigator
wbe2@pitt.edu

Lauren Rosenblum, MD, PhD
Post-Doctoral Fellow
rosenblumlt@upmc.edu

Catherine Yip, MD
Post-Doctoral Fellow

Arjun Pant, MD
Post-Doctoral Fellow

Bhuvi Chagantipati
Research Team Member

News and Activities

2025

The Malek lab presented their work in Intraoperative Molecular Imaging and Photoimmunotherapy at multiple international conferences, including a Plenary talk at the American Pediatric Surgical Association, as well as presentations at the International Society of Pediatric Oncology and the World Molecular Imaging Congress.

2023

Marcus Malek, MD, and Gary Kohanbash, PhD, were awarded R01 funding by the NIH and NCI for their project titled "Intraoperative dual-labeled molecular tracer to improve surgery on neuroblastoma."

2022

Dr. Malek presented his work on dual-modality intraoperative molecular imaging in neuroblastoma at the Precision Surgery international meeting in Philadelphia, PA.

2021

Marcus Malek, MD, was awarded the R.K. Mellon Institute Pilot Translational Research Award for his project, “Development of a Targeted Radio-fluorescent Tracer for Intraoperative Detection of Occult Malignant Lesions and Tumor Margins, Facilitating Complete Surgical Resection of Pediatric Tumors.”

Katrina Morgan, MD, gave a platform presentation entitled, “Interhospital Variability in Localization Techniques for Pulmonary Nodules in Children: A Pediatric Surgical Oncology Research Collaborative study,” at the American Academy of Pediatrics Virtual National Conference & Exhibition.

The Malek Lab is looking for talented post-doctoral fellows and graduate students interested in Intraoperative Molecular Imaging and Pediatric Cancer Surgery. Please contact Dr. Marcus Malek via email at marcus.malek@chp.edu if you are interested.

Contact Us

The Malek Lab
UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh
John G. Rangos Sr. Research Center, Suite 8129
4401 Penn Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15224

Phone: 412-692-7291
Email: marcus.malek@chp.edu